Best Paint Colors
March 16, 2016
20 Pastel Rooms With Grown-Up Good Looks
Pastels are often associated with kids’ rooms and bachelorette pads, but these pretty hues will work in almost any space. In fact, done right, accents, textiles or even walls in pale pink, lavender, mint green or icy blue are the easiest way to add a romantic but sophisticated feel to your space. Here are 20 rooms that show just how cool pastels can be.
Tone-on-tone shades of lilac have a dreamy effect on this bedroom. Moody French lilac walls play nicely with watercolor-pale bedding and a deeply-hued sham, while a lightweight area rug doubles as a throw and adds pretty pattern to the foot of the bed. A hit of chartreuse — in the form of the wall art — is a fresh counterpoint to the otherwise romantic palette.
Breezy sheer curtains add subtle color to this glam space, picking up on the contrasting upholstery of the elegant Louis XVI-style chairs. A Ruhlmann-designed chandelier is an eye-catching centerpiece, highlighting the room’s ultra-high ceilings.
In this beach house on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, sage green vintage lockers are an unpretentious addition to the utility room, adding storage and patina to the completely renovated space.
Lavender subway tile has a painterly quality, infusing designer Silvana D’addazio’s principal bathroom with feminine, but not fussy, charm. Hotel-style towel racks add sculptural interest, while curvy floor tiles have a Moroccan feel.
Homeowners Magela Bruno and Marcelo Palacio went light and bright in their prewar Toronto home, splashing the walls with a pale blue hue that instantly gave the space a modern vibe. The fireplace was originally white, but its new blue-grey color feels moody and adds contrast to the space.
Whimsical throw pillows, including a bunny-printed duo that’s perfect for Easter, are subtly colorful accents for this mostly-neutral space, as is the rug, which also adds a hit of pattern underfoot.
Creamy white walls and rustic wood floors are the perfect backdrop for stylist Lisa Arnsby’s clever mix of modern and traditional pieces. Leggy white leather chairs delineate a chic seating area, while a sage green sectional and pale turquoise armchair are cozy places to curl up with a book.
In textile designer and artist Virginia Johnson’s Toronto home, fabrics obviously take center stage. The drapery in the principal bath features a mid-century modern geometric pattern in a pretty pale green, which picks up on the leafy hues of the John Derian plates and, well, the fiddle-leaf fig tree.
See more of this home here.
Even though the palette is pale, abundant pattern makes this glam family room feel energetic and artful. The sofas have a dusky rose frame, while seat cushions and pillows are upholstered in Missoni fabrics. An inlaid shagreen marquetry table feels playful, as does the polka dot rug.
A revamped kitchen cabinet helps create the sense of an entryway in a small space. Design editor Joel Bray painted its sides the same hue as the walls to enhance its simple, floating look, but gave the door a coat of pale pink for a pretty accent. A whimsical handle is the perfect finishing touch.
In designer Colette van den Thillart’s Barbados beach house, a pale coral pink palette adds to the beachy, breezy ambience. She painted the ceiling with pink and white stripes to mimic the effect of a tent, while mirrored walls amplify the light from hurricane candles, which she mounted on the walls. Pink and white stripes show up again in the indoor living room, where sweet throw pillows amp up the cozy factor of wicker armchairs.
Serenity was the keyword for this revamped principal bath. A fresh coat of pale blue paint and new floor tiles add to the spa-like feel, while accessories with patina — like a pretty glass and metal cabinet, which stores toiletries and perfume — are personal touches.
A restrained color scheme keeps this space feeling restful and calm. Shapely stools add sculptural interest, while an MDF kickplate set in a shallow reveal adds to the contemporary aesthetic. A woven basket is a warm, organic addition.
In one corner of this principal bedroom, sage green drapes add softness and a hit of natural color to the ample seating options, which include a high-backed wooden armchair and a cozy bench.
In the principal bedroom of this modern Vancouver home, spare decorating puts the focus on the architecture, and adds to the room’s serene feel. A pale purple throw is a cozy addition, while radiant concrete flooring is seeded with glass chips for tiny and subtle hits of color.
For a fun — and inexpensive! — take on the gallery wall, swap out each frame’s plain white mat in favor of soft lilac ones. Simple black frames and a geometric lamp provide graphic contrast, while a white beadboard wall is a clean backdrop for this pretty vignette.
Industrial-style wooden chairs are an edgy contrast to soft and feminine mint green walls, as are smoky glassware and oxblood candles. Caspia’s near-mint hue and feathery texture makes it the ideal alternative to a bouquet of blooms.
Think of this trick as wallpaper for commitment-phobes (or renters!): hang wrapping paper on the wall with double-sided tape for a lively hit of color and pattern. Even good-quality wrapping paper is less expensive than wallpaper, so don’t be afraid to go all-out. We chose an ombré pattern in pretty blush hues to give a pretty, painterly update to this entryway.
A crisp white envelope allows pretty pastel hues to shine in J. Crew designer Olympia Bermann’s third-floor New York walk-up. Pale pink art and a light blue patterned rug offset the otherwise bleached out palette, while a tree stump-turned-side table is a reminder of home: the native Torontonian brought it to New York from her family’s cottage and whitewashed it.
Pale green walls feel true to this century home’s history, but pairing them with black and chartreuse carpet tiles gives this small entryway a thoroughly modern update. Crisp black doors have graphic punch.